Air Canada's expansion this year will focus on overseas routes, not domestic service, he said.

Many of Manchester's overseas routes are served by charter flights to holiday destinations, some being seasonal.

Such economics explains why the nation's carriers are scrambling for overseas routes.

One is that the Federal Government might award new overseas routes to the four or five carriers with the strongest international operations.

Air China will be the nation's major international carrier, operating 32 overseas routes to 31 cities in 24 countries.

Foreign airlines are also reporting more robust traffic on overseas routes.

The Persian Gulf war followed, he added, "and we were flying almost empty planes on some of our overseas routes."

American, meanwhile, has indicated that it may still go ahead with plans to buy more MD-11's for many of its new overseas routes.

United implemented several fare hikes on overseas routes, citing rising fuel costs, in 2004 and 2005.

Air Canada, with no overseas routes, banned smoking in September 1990.